Portabella Mushroom Cheesesteaks

When I lost my job, I emailed Julie from The Little Kitchen because I was feeling freaked out and I knew she had just gone through a similar situation herself, ultimately deciding to pursue blogging full-time. Julie immediately gave me her phone number and told me to call her. I think we must have talked for 2 hours that day (while she ran errands!) and I hung up the phone thinking, “Okay. I can do this. Getting laid off was for the best.” She totally talked me down when I was in a state of panic and a spiral of self-doubt.

So now I’m going to steal Julie’s cheesesteak recipe! Well, okay, I’m not really stealing it–hers is made with meat and obviously mine is not. My Portabella Mushroom Cheesesteaks are a mashup of Julie’s cheesesteaks and a sandwich my mom used to make for me and my brother (also a vegetarian) when we were younger. She would sauté some onions, green peppers, and mushrooms, cover them with provolone cheese, and then serve the veggies on crusty rolls. I used Julie’s idea of baking the sandwiches in the oven before serving.

Mushrooms (especially portabellas!) are often used as a substitute for meat, not just for their texture, but for their umami flavor. Umami is one of the five basic tastes–it’s a savory flavor, one that can be found in cured meats, cheeses, and soy sauce. I’ve found that the best way to really bring out the umami in mushrooms is to cook them in a little red wine. It adds a depth of flavor that you just can’t get with butter or oil alone. So if you make this recipe, don’t skip the wine!

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook 3-4 minutes, or until softened and browned. Add wine and increase heat to high. Cook until liquid has evaporated, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

Comments

Hi! I made these a while ago and wanted to give you feedback. I thought they were a decent alternative to the real deal. Granted it didn’t taste much like a cheese steak but I ate it all anyway. I had a whole bunch of mushrooms I needed to use up and this looked to be a good fit. Thanks for sharing.

I made these tonight- pretty yummy! Thanks for the recipe! I’m not much of a cook, only good at following recipes- I was wondering if maybe a few dashes of balsamic vinegar would give it an extra boost? Also, do you have any advice to offer on how to begin blogging full time?

Sure, if you wanted to add balsamic vinegar, that would work. 🙂 As for your question about blogging full-time, it’s hard to distill that into one short response. If you’re looking to start a food blog, I recommend Kelly Senyei’s Food Blogging for Dummies. And for blogging in general, ProBlogger is a good resource. There are several different ways to monetize a blog and it’s just a matter of finding one that you’re comfortable with and that’s a fit for your audience & subject matter.

I made these weeks ago without the red wine, as there was just no way I was going to manage to get my hands on any, and these sammiches were really good; myself and my family really enjoyed them. I made them tonight with some leftover Malbec and HOT DAMN, GIRL These are insane. That wine makes all the difference. I ate like half of it straight out of the pan.

Also I just wanted to note for anyone else that I feel like the method could be a little more streamlined. I got my peppers and onions in the pan then sliced up and cooked the mushrooms. They end up cooking simultaneously (esp if you’re like me and want your onions caramelized). Saves a lot of time. JUST ME. Not trying to be critical <3

THE WINE DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE! I tell people that all the time about cooking mushrooms–add red wine! It’s like magic.

The first time I made these, I tried making all the veggies together and they ended up steaming because the skillet was just too crowded. Using two pans instead of one is definitely a good solution too–thanks for the suggestion! 🙂

Thanks for the great recipe (my family LOVES mushrooms!) and being an inspiration. Today is my first day being laid-off from work. This is an annual “event” for those of us who teach, but this summer may be an extended lay-off due to our company losing their contract with National Head Start. I’ve been talking about making lunches and selling them to businesses in the area (Paula Deen style). Thanks for the pep talk–or letter. I think I’ll go for it!

I’m so sorry to hear about your job, but if being laid off allows you the time you need to pursue your passion, then it’s definitely for the best. (And incidentally, I just got back from Savannah and we stayed a few blocks away from Paula Deen’s restaurant–I always think about how she started out too!) Good luck with your business!

Hi! My partner and I run a small cafe in Malaysia, and we’ve got a client requesting we carry only vegetarian dishes if possible. We’re not too veggie-savvy, but this looks great, and we would love to add this to our menu if you’re alright with it! Would we be able to cook the mushrooms and veggies in advance (we’re not cooking on the premises), chill it to keep, and then do the last step of baking to reheat just before we serve?

This was phenomenal!! The only modification I made was adding a bit of soy sauce to the mushrooms. And, of course, I added a little salt, pepper and Italian seasoning for taste. But, it tasted incredible, and was so easy to make. I’ll be making this again soon. Thanks so much for sharing such a winner! (I found your french toast recipe on here a couple months ago, and it was the best breakfast thing I ever tasted. You have the best food blog!)

If we never doubted ourselves, we wouldn’t be successful. Self-doubt helps you dream bigger. Clearly you are not bogging yourself down in self-doubt! Your blog is amazing! Trying the cheesesteaks this week. ; )

My husband and I made these last night while it was beginning to snow in Greensboro and they are sensational! Thank you for sharing the recipe. They brought back memories of a long ago summer in Philadelphia. We are looking forward to the leftovers tonight.

We tried these last night and they were much better than we had hoped. In fact, we loved them so much, we’re actually going to make them again here in few days. I love simple/delicious. And that is definitely what you have here. Thanks for the recipe!

This sandwich was amazing. I am a lover of portabella mushrooms and cheesesteak sanwiches. What I’m thinking now about using steak in the original version is not even necessary. The meatiness of the mushrooms is all you need. Also, cooking in the wine is a great idea and adds so much flavor. Thanks for sharing.

I made these last night and they were insane! So easy and so good. I made substitutions based on what I had on band….jarred roasted red peppers, smoked gouda…I also added crushed garlic and sliced pepperoncini to the onion sautê and balsamic vinegar to the mushrooms. While I don’t think the vinegar made much of a difference, the pepperoncini added a nice texture and brightness.

Digesting these sandwiches at the moment and feeling the good after delicious dinner pleasure 🙂
I didn’t use red wine or vinegar, and red pepper instead of green, but they still were very good – too bad there was no one today to share this food with.
Only one thing went wrong – I burned myself when I touched the corner of the oven when takung the sandwiches out, but IT WAS WORTH IT 😀

These were so good my cats were trying to steal them off of our plates…that hasn’t happened since I stopped cooking meat almost a year ago. Thank you for such a great site, I’ve yet to try a recipe I don’t like. You make being an aspiring vegetarian very easy and delicious!

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